16 ga 6061 for motorcycle gas tanks????

[marx911]

I have a chance to get about 30 full sheets of 6061 16 ga AL. from where I work at what they sell it to the scrap company. I've been reading about metal working here and what to make some custom gas tanks for my Harleys and am wondering if this is stiff enough to build tanks out of? Also since I only have the ability to do mig welding will this be an issue ? I have little metal fab exp but learn fast and figured if I scrap a few learning ...well it was already scrap heh

Thanks in advance Mark

[Envy Inc]

Welcome to MetalMeet, Mark! 16ga should be alright for an aluminum tank. 16ga would be slightly on the heavy side in mild steel, but aluminum is a little easier to work with. MIG welding aluminum is definitely not out of the question, and there is a good thread on the forum dedicated to it. http://66.225.228.109/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1856&sid=efe89ca94bd0b12941867eac7 0df52c8 Two of the main things to consider when welding aluminum are the wire feed speed and the possibility of the wire birdnesting in the feed liner. You'll need to turn up the feed speed so the wire doesn't back into the tip, and you should also change out the liner for a teflon piece. You'll also need to adjust the tension on your rollers. This will keep the aluminum wire from "birdnesting" inside your feed line, which is a HUGE pain in the behind. There are probably more tips, but these are the only ones I can think of with my admittedly limited aluminum welding experience.

~Adam

[marx911]

been reading everything here an awsome site thanks for the wecome how is 6061 to work with?

[Gonejunking]

Hi Mark
What temper is your 6061? Why are they scrapping so many sheets?
If it's t4, or t6, you'll have to anneal it before you can form it.
It's good mat'l.
good luck

[marx911]

Hi Mark
What temper is your 6061? Why are they scrapping so many sheets?
If it's t4, or t6, you'll have to anneal it before you can form it.
It's good mat'l.
good luck
6061 t6.... they are scrapping it just because we have an over stock of it .... big business ...I'll never understand it ..... these are full 8x20 foot sheets.... they also have a full sheet of 1/2 in 6061 t6 I'm trying to get ... about 3 yrs ago we got bought out by a big corp and some wiz guy from corporate came in and said " we can sub out all these parts ... get rid of the machines " and they tossed complete mills in the trash... they sold a mill we had just bought 2 yrs before for our tooling dept and paid $80,000.00 for for $800.00 I was sick ... I could have lived the rest of my life off the stuff they tossed out it was nuts..... the funny part is now we are trying to buy machines again because they found out what we already knew... they only way to control the part is to make it in house... thats why we had a 650,000 sq ft shop full of equiptment....

Mark

[Hemirambler]

Hi Mark,

Hmmmnn - It's awfully hard to pass up a good deal!!!!! (And I WOULDN'T!!!!!)

However, I would be fearful that your 6061-T6 gas tank will be prone to cracking - especially on a vibration prone Harley!!!

The welds themselves may also prove to be crack prone even if you anneal the panel during forming/shaping.

If it were me - I'd grab it anyways for shaping practice if nothing else - or for some high strength (non welded) parts.

I'd would consider a slightly less brittle alloy like 5052 or even everyone's favorite 3003.

Like everything - your mileage may vary!!!!


Good Luck!!


Jacin in Ohio



The Barefoot Machinist & Student of Metal Bashing

[marx911]

Hi Mark,

Hmmmnn - It's awfully hard to pass up a good deal!!!!! (And I WOULDN'T!!!!!)

However, I would be fearful that your 6061-T6 gas tank will be prone to cracking - especially on a vibration prone Harley!!!

The welds themselves may also prove to be crack prone even if you anneal the panel during forming/shaping.

If it were me - I'd grab it anyways for shaping practice if nothing else - or for some high strength (non welded) parts.

I'd would consider a slightly less brittle alloy like 5052 or even everyone's favorite 3003.

Like everything - your mileage may vary!!!!


Good Luck!!


Jacin in Ohio



The Barefoot Machinist & Student of Metal Bashing

Thanks Jacin ya from what I've been finding out I think you are right ... maybe grab the 1/2 in and some of the 16 ga to learn on cheap but stick to steel ( which I know how to work with a bit better) for my tank project

Mark

[Dutch Comstock]

Hi, For shaping on aluminum sheet you are better off to forget the 6061 as it would be a bear to shape. As the price is right there are a lot of other excellent uses for it and it should not be passed up.
For shaping 3003 h14 or half hard does the best all around work and shapes easily and is strong enough for most types of use. For something that needs to be super strong you go to 5052 and this one you will have to anneal before working it and it work hardens as fast as copper sheet so it will be constantly shaping a little bit and then annealing . Dutch

[tdoty]

Hey Mark,

Grab it up!!! That 6061 will make some great brackets! It might also make some good practice material, as the price is right. Working it might be a challenge though.

The 1/2" is great for brackets and tools!

Sounds like your employer is even better than mine in regards to scrap!

Regards,

Tim D.

[LaLaMan]

What ever you do dont thorw it out.

The stuff welds great with TIG.